Australian police have charged a former soldier over war crimes allegations, with local media reporting the individual as Ben Roberts-Smith, a recipient of the nation’s highest medal for bravery.
A 47-year-old man was charged with five counts of war crime-murder on Tuesday, according to a police statement that said he was refused bail and is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
The man was arrested earlier in the day over allegations he was involved in the deaths of multiple Afghan citizens in 2009 through 2012 “in circumstances that constitute war crimes,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a press conference.
Roberts-Smith served with Australian special forces and did several tours of Afghanistan, being awarded the Victoria Cross for his exploits, the highest military medal for bravery.
The court case is the latest turn in long-running allegations that Australian soldiers committed crimes during their deployment in Afghanistan, with a government report finding that 39 Afghan individuals had been “unlawfully killed by or at the direction of members of” the Australian military.
Roberts-Smith has always denied any wrongdoing.
In 2018, he sued various media organizations and journalists for defamation over news reports that he had committed crimes in Afghanistan. The court eventually ruled that allegations he had been involved in the deaths of civilians were on the balance of probabilities “substantially true.”
However, that was a civil matter and isn’t a criminal finding of guilt.
The maximum penalty for the charges is life imprisonment, according to the police statement.
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